Nasal inhaler



V viva;-

APril 1952 E. CAROFIGLIO 3,027,897

NASAL INHALER Filed July 23, 1959 INVENTOR By LOU/S EDWZRO CAROF/GL/O P ATJQRNEI atent 3,027,897 Patented Apr. 3, 1962 ice 3,027,897 NASAL INHALER Louis Edward Carofiglio, 120 W. Shore Drive, Massapequa, N.Y. Filed July 23, 1959, Ser. No. 828,965 Claims. (Cl. 128-206) This invention relates to a nasal inhaler, and more particularly to a nasal inhaler whereby the vapors of one or more different therapeutic agents may be selectively applied to the nasal passages of the user.

There are many nasal inhalers on the market today, all of the inhalers being for the most part of the same basic design. These inhalers comprise a tubular member enclosing a vapor emitting agent, a nose piece for insertion into the nostril for inhaling the medicated vapors, and a cover for the nose piece so that the inhaler may be readily carried about in pocket or pulse. The available inhalers make no provisions for application of different medicaments or therapeutic agents to the nasal passages of the user, only one vapor emitting agent being available.

It has been found that in the treatment of infections or infiammations of the nasal passages, the vapors of several agents are required to alleviate these conditions. Such treatments are usually on a periodic basis, with one or more agents used at stated time intervals. With present day inhalers, several of such inhalers must be carried on the person to combat the infection successfully. While some agents are prescribed only for the inhalation of their vapors, other agents are prescribed for inhalation and for direct application to the skin of the user. The latter treatment would require the use of an applicator with its attendant container in addition to the inhaler.

It is therefore an object of my present invention to provide a nasal inhaler whereby the vapors of one or more medicaments may be selectively inhaled by the user, suitable provisions being made in the inhaler for the use of a therapeutic vapor emitting stick as an inhalant or as an applicative for direct application to the skin of the user.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious, and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In accordance with my invention, a tubular member is provided with a suitable nose piece for insertion into the nostril of the user and a medicament holder removably secured to the other end of the tubular member. The medicament holder is compartmentalized to provide a desired number of compartments for the various prescribed agents. A centrally disposed compartment is preferably included among the various compartments for a stick of a vapor emitting solid which may be also used as an applicative when the holder is removed from the tubular member. A suitable passageway by way of a tube and a collector cone carries the vapors from the medicament holder to the nose piece. The selection of one or more of the therapeutic agents disposed inthe holder is by way of a perforated cover for the holder, the positioning of the perforated area or areas of the cover permitting certain vapors to be carried to the nose piece, the imperforate areas of the cover sealing off the vapors of the other agents.

In the accompanying drawings? FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section of an inhaler embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1 showing the compartmentalized medicament holder.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate various perforated covers provided for the medicament holder of the novel inhaler.

FIG. 6 is a vertical section showing the details of an imperforate cover, while FIG. 7 is a vertical section of a medicament holder compartment illustrating the use of snap'in medicament containers.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates a nasal inhaler embodying my invention. The nasal inhaler comprises a tubular member 11, preferably made of a suitable plastic material, and having a diameter and length which may be readily and comfortably held between the thumb and forefinger of the user. The ends of the tubular member are provided with internal threads 12 and 13, the diameter and pitch of both threads being preferably the same for reasons hereinafter apparent. Secured within the upper end of tubular member 11 by the threads 12, is an externally threaded, hollow nose piece 14, the exterior surface of the nose piece being suitably formed to fit the nostril of the user. The nose piece 14 is formed with an integral, longitudinally disposed tube 15 having a suitable opening 16 registering with the upper external surface of the nose piece. The nose piece is further formed with a number of transverse openings 17 which vent the space 18 formed by the interior surface of the nose piece and the external surface of the tube 15. A cap 19 is provided for the inhaler, the cap being provided with external threads for engagement with the internal threads 12 of the tubular member.

Secured within the nose piece tube 15 as by a force fit, is a tube 20 which extends downwardly within the tubular member 11 to a point which is slightly short of the lower end threads 13. Secured to the lower end of the tube 20 is a collector cone 21 which is axially dis posed within the tubular member. As illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the tube 20 is straight but it may be in the form of a spiral or helix.

A medicament holder 22 provided with external threads is threadedly secured to the lower end of the tubular member 11 by the threads 13. The medicament holder is preferably divided into a number of compartments (FIG. 2), each compartment containing different medicated vaporizing crystals or powders M according to prescription. As illustrated in the drawings, the holder 22 is divided into four segmental compartments 23-26 and a centrally disposed circular compartment 27. It will be understood that other combinations of compartments for the medicament holder are possible and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The centrally disposed circular compartment is preferably provided for a stick 28 of a vapor emitting solid such as menthol or camphor, the stick projecting upwardly from the holder with the upper end thereof within the lip of the collector cone 21 when the holder is secured.

The medicament holder 22 is provided with a cover 29 which may be formed with a centrally disposed opening 39 for accommodating the vapor emitting stick 28. The cover 29 is further provided with perforations 31 (FIG. 3) covering an area corresponding to the opening of a segmental compartment of the holder. With the cover 29 disposed on medicament holder 22, it is possible to permit vapor emission from only one of the segmental compartments by positioning the perforated section of the cover above the desired compartment, the vapors from the remaining compartments being effectively sealed off by the unperforated areas of the cover.

In the use of the nasal inhaler described, the compartments 23-26 are filled with prescribed medicaments -M and a vapor emitting stick 28, such as menthol, is inserted into the centrally disposed compartment 27. Before securing the medicament holder to the tubular mem ber, the cover 29 is rotated to a position in which the perforations 31 are above a particular compartment. The holder is then secured to the tubular member, the menthol stick 28 being under the collector cone 21. The cap 19 being threaded to the top of the tubular member prevents the evaporation of the medication. At the prescribed time, the user unscrews the cap and inserts the nose piece 14 into his nostril. Upon inhaling, the vapors of the methanol stick 28 and of the medication in the exposed compartment are gathered by the collector cone and drawn upwardly through the collector cone 21, the tubes and 15 and the opening 16, air being drawn into the space '18 and into the tubular member through the transverse openings 17 in the nose piece. Should the prescribed treatment require the direct application of menthol to the skin of the user, the medicament holder is readily unscrewed and the menthol stick 28 applied as directed. Screwing on of the cap 19 and the holder 22 again seals the various therapeutic agents against vaporization and permits the inhaler to be carried in a pocket or purse.

As previously indicated herein, the nasal inhaler described may be readily adapted to meet particular prescriptions of medication. It will be readily appreciated that by leaving the cover 29 off, the vapors of the several compartments will be inhaled by the user. The vapors of two or more compartments may also be made available to the user of the inhaler by providing a cover 32 as illustrated in FIG. 4 wherein two quadrants of the cover are provided with perforations 33, the perforated quadrants corresponding to the segmental compartments of the medicament holder. In FIG. 5, there is illustrated a cover 34 for a medicament holder wherein the perforated areas 35 and unperforated areas 36 of the cover are alternate, the holder compartments being formed with radial walls having an arcuate thickness slightly greater than the arcuate distance of the perforated area. The cover 34 may thus be positioned so that vapors may be available from either all of the compartments or none of the compartments as desired.

It is also feasible to cover all of the compartments of the medicament holder when the holder is used as an applicator by using a cover 34 as illustrated in FIG. 5, or by providing an unperforated cover 37 illustrated in FIG. 6, the cover 37 having a stem 38 which will accommodate the stick 28 and which is suitably threaded for securing to the circular compartment 27 by the threads It will be readily understood that the various compartments of the medicament holder 22 may take various forms and that the therapeutic agents disposed within such compartments may be available in suitable containers. As illustrated in FIG. 7 the medicament M is disposed within a cup-shaped container 40, which is snapped into a compartment 41 of the medicament holder, the container being readily removed by a finger tab 42.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a nasal i-nhaler in which the objects of this invention are achieved and which is Well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various embodiments may be made of the above invention and as various changes may be made in the embodiments set forth above, it will be understood that all matter herein contained or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A nasal inhaler comprising, a tubular member, a nose piece removably secured to one end of said member, said nose piece being provided with a longitudinally disposed opening and a plurality of transverse openings for venting the interior of the tubular member, a cap removably secured to the one end of the tubular member to enclose the nose piece and seal off the nose piece openings, a tube secured at one end to the nose piece and connected with the longitudinal opening therein, said tube being Within the tubular member; a compartmentalized medicament holder removably secured to the other end ,of the tubular member, each compartment of the holder being adapted to hold vapor emitting agents; a collector cone secured to the other end of the tube, the base of the cone being juxtaposed above the compartments of the medicament holder; and a cover having perforate and i-mperforate areas for the medicament holder to permit the selective emission of vapors from the agents carried by the holder upon positioning the cover relative to said holder.

2. A nasal inhaler according to claim 1, in which the tube and collector cone are coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the tubular member.

3. A nasal inhaler according to claim 1, in which one of the compartments of the medicament holder is centrally disposed and aligned with the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, and the cover is formed with a centrally disposed opening registering with the one compartment.

4. A nasal inhaler comprising, a tubular member, a nose piece removably secured to one end of the tubular member, said nose piece being provided with a longitudinally disposed opening and a plurality of transverse ,openings for venting the interior of the tubular member, a cap removably secured to the one end of the tubular member to enclose the nose piece and seal off the nose piece openings, a medicament holder removably secured to the other end of the tubular member, a plurality of compartments in said holder adapted to hold vapor emitting agents, one of said compartments being centrally disposed and coaxial with the tubular member, a cover for said holder having a centrally disposed opening registering with, the centrally disposed compartment for accommodating a protruding stick of a vapor emitting solid within the central compartment, said cover being provided with perforate and imperforate areas to permit upon positioning of the cover relative to the compartments other than the centrally disposed compartment the selective emission of vapors from the agents in the compartments, a tube secured at one end to the nose piece and connected with the longitudinal opening therein, and a collector cone secured to the other end of the tube, the base of the cone being juxtaposed above the compartments of the medicament holder.

5. In a nasal inhaler, the combination of a removably securable medicament holder, a tubular casing having an apertured top and an open bottom, the holder being attached to the open bottom region of the casing and snugly fitted within the interior of said bottom region of the casing, a plurality of open top compartments in the holder for receiving vap or emitting agents, at least one of said compartments being centrally disposed within the holder and adapted to hold an upstanding stick of a vapor emitting solid, the open top of the compartments facing the interior of the casing, and a cover for the open top of the compartments rotatably connected to the holder having a centrally disposed aperture to permit projection of the stick therethrough into the casing interior, and further having perfiorate and imperforate areas to permit the selective emission of vapors from the agents in the other compartments into the casing interior upon positioning perforate areas of the cover above the interior of said other compartments.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 466,130 Wood Dec. 29, 1891 726,037 Ferre Apr. 21, 1903 2,579,280 Tr-umbour Dec, 18, 1951 

